Tag Archives: Stupas

Sanchi is a village in Madhya Pradesh, India. Basically, it is known in India for its popular Buddhist Stupa and its monuments. It is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Many monasteries, temples and pillars are located around the famous Sanchi stupa. The intricate carvings on the stupa illustrate the events from the life of Buddha. It is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site in India.

Sanchi Stupa 1 or the Great StupaImage source: wikipedia.org

The great stupa is the oldest stone structure in India and was commissioned by the emperor Ashoka. There are a number of monuments at this place namely Stupa 1, Stupa 3, Pillar 10, Temple 18, Temple 17, Eastern Area Temple, Southern Area Temple, Western Area Monastery, Chetiyagiri Vihara and Archaeological Museum. They are the unrivaled masterpiece of early Buddhist Art. Also, there are ruins of about 50 monuments. Among the ruined monuments, 3 are large stupas, temples, a monastery and monolithic pillars.

Pillar at the northern gate of Stupa 1Image source: wikipedia.org

Stupa no. 1 is the Great or Principal monument of the place. It has many porticos with stone railings. Decorative work or Torana on the four gateways give it a stunning look. The illustrations located in the decorative work depict the former lives of Buddha. Numerous themes are illustrated there that taken from legends and history. The wonderfully carved inscriptions of plants, animals and humans show the unrivaled skills and art of the earlier times of Buddha.

Buddhist Monastery in SanchiImage source: wikipedia.org

All the stupas are crowned with a chhatra. Chhatra is a parasol type structure that symbolizing high rank, peace and honour to the relics of Buddha. Also, temple 17 & 45 and monastery 51 are among the most sojourning structures.

Temple 17 (front) and Temple 18 (behind)Image source: wikipedia.org

So, the monuments of Sanchi are the worth visiting site and have great historical importance. Emperor Ashoka built many Buddhist monasteries and stupas all over India to spread Buddhism. Many pilgrimage sites are there that correlates with Buddhism and a large number of pilgrims visit them throughout the year.

Shalabhanjika – The most well-known sculpture of Sanchi ComplexImage by jamyang190 on flickr.com